1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminating apparatus for manufacturing an IC card and the like by having a vacuum suction step, a thermocompression-bonding step, and a cooling step.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Conventionally, as a laminating apparatus for manufacturing a thin IC card containing an electronic component such as an IC chip, an IC card manufacturing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3381027 is known.
This IC card manufacturing apparatus manufactures an IC card by thermocompression bonding a laminated-substrate which consists of an electronic component such as an IC chip held between sheet materials. The IC card manufacturing apparatus includes: a laminated-substrate sandwiching unit composed of an upper sandwiching member and a lower sandwiching member for sandwiching the laminated-substrate in a sealed state, an evacuation unit for evacuating an interior of the laminated-substrate sandwiching unit, a pre-heating press unit for elevating a temperature of the evacuated laminated-substrate sandwiching unit which holds the laminated-substrate with a pre-heating temperature lower than a regular heating temperature, a thermocompression-bonding press unit for thermocompression bonding the evacuated laminated-substrate sandwiching unit which holds the laminated-substrate and transferred from the preheating press unit, and a cooling unit to cool the evacuated laminated-substrate sandwiching unit which holds the laminated-substrate and transferred from the thermocompression-bonding press unit. According thereto, since heating press control and pressuring control to the laminated-substrate is conducted independently by the separate pre-heating press unit, thermocompression-bonding press unit, and the cooling press unit, a production cycle time is shorten, improving productivity and mass-production efficiency, and enhancing energy conservation and economical efficiency. Additionally, since the laminated-substrate is accommodated within the sealed and evacuated laminated-substrate, a heating state and a pressuring state are continuously secured; i.e.; a temperature and a pressure of the laminated-substrate is secured, and therefore quality and homogeneity are improved to increase merchantability.
However, since this IC card manufacturing apparatus (laminating apparatus) uses a rotary conveyer method in which the respective press units rotate centering on a driving shaft portion, in spite of merits of the rotary conveyer method, this apparatus has disadvantages described below.
First, since the respective press units are disposed around the driving shaft portion, when another processing step (pressing unit and the like) is added, design modification of the entire apparatus is required, and besides a number of steps to be able to be added is limited. Therefore this apparatus is disadvantageous in terms of expansibility.
Secondly, since a size of the laminated-substrate cannot be easily enlarged, this apparatus is disadvantageous in terms of freedom of design, and an improvement in mass-productivity is difficult to achieve considering an aspect of the laminated-substrate size.
Thirdly, since the respective press units rotate centering on the driving shaft portion, when for example an optional processing step is monitored, the other processing steps cannot be easily monitored. Therefore, monitoring of the entire steps cannot be conducted easily or efficiently. Also, a moving distance (work flow) of an operator for monitoring, maintenance or the like becomes long.